Purpose of the U.S. Agency for International Development Ombudsman's Office

The primary purpose of the Acquisition and Assistance (A & A) Ombudsman's Office is to ensure equitable treatment of all parties participating in USAID's acquisition and assistance pre-award, post-award and administration functions.

The A&A Ombudsman is the Agency official tasked with managing complaints about specific A&A proceedings as well as cross-cutting issues related to the execution of the A&A process at USAID.  Critical to accomplishing the purpose of the office is the trust individuals place in the process.

The Standards of Practice for the Ombudsman's Office

The A&A Ombudsman is:

• A neutral, independent intermediary

• Responsible for maintaining anonymity of sources and confidentiality of matters

The A&A Ombudsman will maintain confidentiality unless individuals choose to waive this right. The Ombudsman and the individual who presents an issue must agree to the disclosure of confidential information, with the exception of identity of source when it is unavoidable in conducting an administrative review.

The principal goal of the A&A Ombudsman is to facilitate resolution of differences through an informal, impartial administrative review of the action in question. The review requires obtaining factual information about the specific matter and researching and applying pertinent regulations/policies and, where appropriate, consulting with Senior Agency Management in USAID or other federal-wide subject matter experts.

In addition, the A&A Ombudsman has a substantive role in A&A reform, A&A training, outreach, "customer-access" and "customer-service" matters.

Obtaining Answers to Your Questions or Support from the A&A Ombudsman

If you need help with a specific USAID-financed acquisition or assistance matter, please see the information under the A&A Ombudsman Review Process.

If you do not have a question about a specific USAID-financed acquisition or assistance matter, or related cross cutting issue, the USAID website is a good source of general information about agency programs and policies. The “Reports and Data” section of USAID’s website contains tips on sources of information and documentation on U.S. foreign assistance, USAID policies and budget, and USAID projects around the world.

Contact Information for the Ombudsman's Office

E-mail: Ombudsman@usaid.gov

Other Information and Resources

• Transcripts and recordings of the Ask the Procurement Executive conference calls

• How to Work with USAID

• USAID Ombudsman for Acquisition and Assistance Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question that is not related to the Ombudsman, use the Contact USAID page.